Introducing CERN's Open Hardware Repository

The Open Hardware Repository has proven the feasibility of its open-and-commercial vision. It now hosts more than 100 projects and is promoted by 11 research institutes and 16 commercial companies.

In this column, I would like to introduce you to one of the most important open science-related projects I've ever found. The reason I say "most important" is not due to the outstanding milestones that have already been achieved, but mostly for its huge potential for empowering an open hardware paradigm in the electronic industry. The project I'm talking about is CERN's Open Hardware Repository.

The OHR has its roots in the White Rabbit project, a timing system developed for experimental physics facilities able to synchronize ~1,000 nodes with sub-nanosecond accuracy over fiber optic cable lengths of up to 10 km. While dealing with White Rabbit development, Javier Serrano, leader of the hardware and timing group in CERN's beams control group, realized that hardware development need not be performed in isolation by a group of persons or entities with relatively long-standing, established relationships. Instead, such development could be achieved by gathering contributions from diverse sources, ranging from individual designers sitting in their basements to entire design teams from large organizations.

After developing a clear idea of how to bring his ideas for an open electronic design approach into reality, Serrano gained the support of CERN's knowledge transfer group. In 2009, the OHR started its outstanding track record of success.

Over the last few years, the OHR has become the de facto place on the web where electronics designers at experimental facilities collaborate on open hardware designs, sharing much of the attitudes and beliefs of the free software movement. The underlying philosophy is clearly depicted in the OHR Manifesto, which states the numerous advantages of working in a completely open environment -- peer review, design reuse, healthier relationships with companies, and the joy of working inside a global community.

The Open Hardware Repository mascot.

I have no doubt that, if you are an electronic designer working on a project that may prove to be useful for experimental physics research, then the OHR is the place you should host your work. This is why I am now the proud leader of two different OHR-hosted projects. But beyond pure scientific research, how is this CERN initiative helping to develop a healthy, open hardware-based business environment?

Increasingly I am seeing people looking at other peoples implementations and reimplementing them with their own techniques and getting away with it. Thus I think it is better to be open, get first mover advantage and possibly a piece of the other guys pie than to keep your cards close to your chest and be beaten by someone else with more money or a cheaper workforce.

Max magnificently wrote: I can well see why someone who has designed something that is capraciously cunning would want to keep it (the design details) for themselves...

By doing so they miss the opportunity to make the design even better. Chris Taylor of SparkFun explains it very well in this EDN article:

In open source, a lot of that concern comes from wondering "What if someone steals my design?" Well, good, that's kind of the point. Let them steal it. If they can make it better, you can steal it right back and make yours better. That's what makes the product a quality product. Then you design the next cool thing. The information is free, but at SparkFun, the hardware is where we make the money.

Hi Javi -- in your blog you mention hardware, software, and gatewear. It's probably worth noting that -- in this context -- the term "gateware" refers to the data that describes the configuration of an FPGA or similar programmable logic device.

On the one hand I totally agree with the concepts of open source software and hardware... on the other hand I can well see why someone who has designed something that is capraciously cunning would want to keep it (the design details) for themselves...